Lifestyle Kitchens

Four-Cook Kitchen

"This kitchen was designed to function well for an active family of five. The home is built on a series of hexagons, so there is not a right angle anywhere in the home-a serious design challenge! To minimize the angles in the kitchen, curves were incorporated in the countertops where the wood butcher block and granite counters join and on the back of the eating bar. To further incorporate the rounded look, the columns are rounded, as is the countertop edge. We also incorporated a river-like element in the floor by carving a riverbed out of the wood floor and installing granite rocks.

"This family entertains extensively, so the kitchen must function well for up to four cooks at any given time. Two built-in maple countertops alleviate the need for pull-out chopping blocks (which also take up additional space that the kitchen doesn't have). Knives are conveniently placed in the wood countertops at both locations. The kitchen is divided into work centers-baking center, cooking, salad prep and clean-up-to make the flow work better.

"The original kitchen did not take advantage of the view and could only comfortably seat eight-which didn't work well, considering they usually entertain in groups of 14 or more! By removing walls and repositioning the kitchen, there is now seating for 20 in the dining area (including the bar), and the first thing you see when entering the home is the view."